The present invention relates to the art of radio frequency interface circuits. The invention finds particular application in interfacing between the transmission and reception of magnetic resonance signals and will be described with particular reference thereto. It is to be appreciated however, that the invention may find further application in other fields in which high power, multiple-frequency radio signals are alternately transmitted and received through a common antenna.
Heretofore, magnetic resonance imagers have commonly been used to generate images based on hydrogen nuclei in a subject. Typically, a radio frequency generator generates a high powered RF signal at the resonance frequency of hydrogen which is passed through an interface circuit to an RF coil. The generated RF signals induce magnetic resonance in the hydrogen in an imaged volume. During the passing of the excitation signals, the interface circuit uses quarter wavelength cables, other inductive and capacitive elements, and PIN diodes to create narrow, but effective bandpass filters at the resonance frequency. After excitation, the bias on the PIN diodes is changed such that the narrow bandpass filter becomes a low impedance interconnection between the RF coil and the receiver.
However, there are many paramagnetic nuclei of potential diagnostic interest, such as helium 3, fluorine, phosphorous, carbon, and xenon. At a given magnetic field strength, each of these nuclei have a distinctly different resonance frequency. More particularly, the resonance frequencies are sufficiently different that the bandpass filter of the interface circuit is ineffective for any but one of the selected frequencies.
The present invention provides a new, multiple-frequency transmit-receive switch which overcomes the above-mentioned difficulties and others.